DOING BUSINESS THE PERSONAL WAY
Being a family business from the start, it was natural that Gatti would involve his children (the family had now grown to five) in some of the day-to-day work of the business. In 1976, his son Ralph, freshly graduated from high school, began to work in production, under the wing of production foreman Miller. The younger Gatti had spent summers and holidays working in the business since its inception. His goal upon joining full-time was to build a college tuition fund as quickly as possible; however, he soon assumed the general manager's role. This allowed the senior Gatti to focus on the business end of things, while continuing to be the principle delivery truck driver and the main contact for the customers. Miller continued to provide superior craftsmanship and product development. A strong, interdependent team had come together.
In 1979, a second line of caps was added to the aluminum line (the wood frame caps had been slowly phased out by their dying appeal). A national corporation located in nearby Wooster, Ohio asked A.R.E. to develop an aluminum truck cap specifically for the new wave of mini-trucks being used in commercial fleet applications. As a result of this request A.R.E.'s highly successful "Deluxe Commercial Units" quickly evolved. These "DCUs" featured an array of optional accessories that made them ideal for utility and service trucks. For the first time the collaborative work of Aden Miller and Ralph Gatti produced an innovative product that provided momentum for company growth. Furthermore this innovation strongly impacted the pick-up truck cap industry.Miller and the younger Gatti began to investigate the potential for other product lines. As they had seen aluminum replace wood as the building material of choice for a market in need of lightweight strength, they began to recognize that the same thing was rapidly occurring with fiberglass. Fiberglass reinforced plastics were beginning to provide the truck cap market with the styling and durability desired by the rapidly growing base of pick-up truck owners.
In 1982, Aden Miller and Ralph Gatti started A&R FIBERGLASS, INC. with the purpose of taking advantage of the market's shift to fiberglass. A separate company from A.R.E., they worked in relationship with A.R.E. to the benefit of both companies. A.R.E. provided the dealer network eager for a high quality fiberglass product, as well as start-up support. Miller, and especially Ralph Gatti, continued their involvement in the day-to-day operations of A.R.E. as A&R Fiberglass developed. The successful relationships that had begun in the 60's were still well at work in the 80s. So much so that when Sal Gatti began to contemplate retirement in the late 1980's, the only business succession strategy considered was a merger of these two vital companies. On January 1, 1988, A&R Fiberglass merged with A.R.E. resulting in one enterprise focused on quality, service and innovation.
